


Beneath the Sea

by asongforjonsa



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Beach Romance, Beaches, F/M, Reylo - Freeform, Summer, Summer Love, Walks On The Beach
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 17:51:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15442560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asongforjonsa/pseuds/asongforjonsa
Summary: Rey and Ben meet working at The Royal Treat in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Sparks fly immediately.





	Beneath the Sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lilia_ula](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilia_ula/gifts).



> Somehow this turned into a love letter to Rehoboth Beach. I hope everyone enjoys it, especially you, [Athena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilia_ula/pseuds/Lilia_ula)!! I love This Way Lies Ruin so much! 
> 
> There will be a (smutty) part two as well as a moodboard once the authors are revealed :) 
> 
> All the places I mention are real and were a huge part of my childhood!

Rey sees him at the end of her first week. She’s gathered with Poe, Finn and the Tico sisters on the front porch after finishing their night shift at The Royal Treat, eating some ice cream and breathing the salty beach air. 

He comes walking up the front steps, a city boy who looks completely out of place in the midst of the casual Rehoboth vibe. Striking features, dark hair she wants to run her fingers through, and  _ Jesus  _ is he built. And so, so tall.

“Ben!” Poe calls out. “Hey buddy!” He shoots out of his chair and runs out to greet the guy. Poe is so short compared to the new guy (Ben, she supposes) but he reaches out to hug him anyway. Ben glares at him for a moment before hugging him with a grumble. 

“What are you doing here, big guy?” Poe asks. “I thought you were interning for the summer.” 

Ben shrugs and Rey wonders if he is actually capable of speaking. 

And then he does. And Rey’s panties melt. 

“I did that the last two summers, missed the beach. I’m joining you guys at Royal Treat.” 

_ Oh my god. His voice is so rumbly. I’m going to die.  _

“That’s awesome! Come see the gang-” 

“Lemme get settled for a second, small fry. Where’s Amilyn?”

“Is that my nephew I hear?” Amilyn Holdo comes rushing out of the shop and wraps Ben up in a huge hug. 

“Hey Aunt Ami,” Rey hears Ben murmur. “Sorry I’m so late.” 

They turn to go back into the shop, when Ben looks over at the group and zeroes in on Rey. “Who’s the new girl?” he rumbles. 

Rey opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Rose nudges her, but when Rey says nothing, she supplies, “Her name is Rey!” 

“Hi Rey,” Ben says. “Hey guys, we’ll catch up later.” 

They go inside and everyone’s eyes are fixed on Rey’s. She becomes  _ very  _ focused on her ice cream sundae and tries desperately to ignore their stares and the severe blush covering her face, neck and ears. 

**

The new girl is a problem. 

Who the fuck does she think she is? 

She’s been working there two goddamn weeks and she is the most popular person there. Everyone fawns over her, supremely happy to see her every day. And Ben? He’s… well, he’s fucked.

He stares at her constantly, whenever they work the same shift. And when they aren’t together, he thinks about her. Her smile, her laugh, her freckles, those eyes… They sparkle, but he can tell there’s some sadness behind the façade. 

He’s never felt this  _ pull  _ to anyone before. Ben knows exactly four things about her: Her name is Rey, she just finished her first year of college, she says she’s from “nowhere” (whatever that means), and that she has very clearly never worked in a restaurant before.

It doesn’t matter, though, any questions she has are answered cheerfully by the rest of the staff, and any mistakes she makes are smoothed over by her obscenely cheerful personality. 

He hasn’t spoken with her much. Ben Solo is not a man who gets intimidated easily, but he is terribly intimidated by this new girl. She just… she  _ fits.  _ She fits in with the rest of the staff, she fits in with the Rehoboth vibe, she fits in everywhere. 

Ben has always stood out, especially in Rehoboth. His 6’5” frame and dark features and perpetually serious (some call it moody) demeanor didn’t really  _ go  _ with everything. But Aunt Ami insisted when Ben was 17 that he come work for her for the summer, and he’s loved the beach ever since. She’s owned The Royal Treat for 30 years, it’s how she met his parents. 

Han and Leia were part of the Rehoboth beach scene in the 80s. They would bust their asses in D.C. all week, and party  _ hard  _ at the beach on the weekends. All summer, every summer. They brought Ben to Rehoboth every summer, staying in their condo on the water, his whole childhood. 

Rehoboth is special to him. And he wants to show it to Rey. Which means talking to her. 

**

Ben is staring at her. Like, staring at her  _ hard.  _ Rey tries to ignore it. She’s usually successful, because she  _ always  _ feels his eyes on her when they’re working together. But something about his stare today… She just can’t shake it! 

Not that she doesn’t look at him too. Whenever his back is turned or he’s looking away, you can count on Rey glancing over to run her eyes over that form… that face… that chest… that  _ ass. _

Rey has never considered herself “thirsty” per se. She’s slept with a couple guys, but it was less about lust and more about her being lonely and them being available. 

But Ben Solo? Rey  _ wants  _ Ben Solo.  _ Needs  _ him, to be precise. This ice cream shift is dragging on so slowly she wants to scream; it’s super busy but she feels like she’s moving in slow motion, her eyes locked on Ben constantly. 

It’s been two freaking weeks of this tension between them, it started the minute he arrived and has just built and built and built. He actually managed to strike up a conversation with her earlier in the week, short and seemingly inconsequential as it was. But she was immensely grateful, because she felt so uncharacteristically  _ shy  _ around him. 

She was always described as a “go-getter” growing up, which was her foster family’s nice way of saying she’s bossy and gets what she wants when she sets her mind to it. Not with Ben Solo, though. It feels like she’s doomed to a summer of tension since neither of them can seem to get their act together. 

“You need to do something about that, Peanut,” Finn says to her quietly. She jumps a mile, startled by his sudden appearance at her side. She’s manning the cash register, and has botched a couple transactions because of her,  _ ahem _ , distraction. 

“About what?” Rey snaps. Finn nods theatrically at Ben, who is doing not so great tonight himself. He’s making a sundae at the moment and has just spilled chocolate sauce down his front. 

“God, what I wouldn’t do to lick that chocolate sauce up,” Rey mutters. Finn barks out a laugh, which draws Ben’s attention. Rey elbows Finn  _ hard  _ in the stomach and tells him to piss off. 

The shift  _ finally  _ comes to an end at 10, the final customers being all but escorted out of the restaurant so the staff can clean up. Rey closes out the cash register before feeling Ben’s presence lurk behind her. She turns around and sees his mouth fall open. 

“Something you need, Ben?” she asks as casually as she can muster. 

“Um, well,” he stammers. “Are you, um, off tomorrow?” Rey grins and nods. 

“Yup! You?” 

“Yeah…” 

Rey takes a deep breath and summons her courage. “Do you want to, um, hang out? I think Rose and Finn are off too.” 

Ben’s eyes light up and he looks so relieved she thinks he might cry. “Yeah, that would be fun. We could go to the beach?” 

Now Rey’s eyes light up. She has the  _ perfect  _ bikini to make him… well, not suffer, but maybe act on this tension. Okay, that’s a lie. She wants him to suffer. 

“Yeah, let’s meet up at 10 tomorrow so we can get good spots on the beach,” Rey says with a smile. She rests her hand on Ben’s arm and kisses his cheek. “See you then!” She bounces off into the night, smiling wickedly to herself. 

**

Ben is absolutely, positively convinced he’s about to have a stroke. First, Rey kisses him on the cheek  _ again  _ when they meet up at the beach. Then she hip-checks him as they’re walking. 

And then she takes off her romper. She peels off her innocent-looking, green striped romper to reveal… a white strapless bikini. It stands out like a lighthouse in the night against her golden skin, calling to him like a man who’s been lost at sea for months. 

“Ben? You okay buddy?” Finn nudges Ben with his shoulder. 

“Wha- uh- yeah-” Ben stammers. His swim trunks have become horribly tight in the crotch region, and he needs to exit the situation  _ fast.  _ “I’ll go get the chairs!” he all but shouts. He sprints over to the shack and thinks about the least sexy things he can imagine. 

His boner has gone down somewhat by the time he gets back to the group, but that doesn’t last long. Rey is spreading sunscreen on her legs, the legs that go on for miles. As soon as Ben gets seated, she comes sauntering over to him and bends over in front of him. 

He’s definitely not going to survive the day. 

“Ben?” she asks coyly. “Would you do my back?” She hands him a bottle of SPF 15, turns around and gets on her knees. She looks over her shoulder when she doesn’t sense any movement and  _ definitely  _ bats her lashes at him. 

“Um, sure,” Ben mutters. He rubs the lotion between his hands to warm it up as Rey pulls her ponytail out of the way. 

“Make sure you get under the top too,” she murmurs. “I might take it off later so I can get a nice even tan.” 

There’s no way she doesn’t hear the groan that escapes his mouth. He tries to cover it up with a cough but fails miserably. 

_ Say something, stupid!  _

“So, SPF 15, huh?” he says, immediately punching himself in the face mentally.  _ What kind of stupid…  _ “That’s pretty low SPF.” 

Rey chuckles and shifts a little closer so she’s planted between his parted knees. “Well, I have to maintain my summer glow, don’t I?” She looks over her shoulder at him and bites her lip. 

“I’m jealous, I have to use SPF 75 and above,” he replies. He’s not sure how he’s relaxed in the moment, but he’s going to go with it. 

“I learned my lesson when I was 17 and got burned from head to toe,” he continues. “I peeled for three weeks after.” 

“Oh my god, you poor thing!” Rey whimpers. “That’s so awful!” He slides his hands under the back of her bikini and she gasps. 

Feeling bolder, he leans in to her ear and whispers, “This alright, sunshine?” She nods frantically. 

“I hope you had someone to take care of you with that burn,” she murmurs. 

_ Is she asking about…?  _

“Um, just my mom,” Ben replies quietly. Rey looks over her shoulder at him again with a surprised look on her face. He shrugs and continues rubbing lotion into her golden back. 

A few feet away, Rose and Finn have their heads bent together. “I have never seen lotion applied so romantically,” Rose giggles. Finn pokes her and tells her to be quiet.

“It’s not like they can hear us! They’re so wrapped up in each other-” 

“Rose!” Finn hisses. 

“All done. I think they’re talking about us,” Ben whispers in Rey’s ear. She turns around slowly, looking like the cat who ate the canary. 

“Can’t imagine why,” Rey purrs. “Want me to do your back next?” 

Ben peels his shirt off and Rey sucks in a breath between her teeth. 

“Good god, Solo,” she mutters. “What other secrets are you hiding?” Ben grins at her and gets on his knees in the sand. He turns around so she can apply his SPF 75 to his pale back while he applies it to his arms. She stops him when he goes to apply it to his chest. 

“I don’t think so, mister,” she whispers, “I call dibs on the chest.” 

“I think that’s not the safest idea,” he mutters. She leans in closer so she can hear him. 

“What was that?” 

“I think it’s a bad idea for you to go anywhere near my chest while we’re in public, sunshine,” he says with a grin over his shoulder. 

Rey bites her lip and rubs her hands lower on his back, until she reaches the top of his swim trunks. She runs her fingers under the band and giggles when she feels his body go stiff as a board. 

“Just don’t want any skin to get burned if these slip somehow,” she murmurs. 

“Uh, right. Sure.” 

“All done, Solo,” she purrs. “Finish up so we can get in the water.” 

After the obligatory 15 minute waiting period (which Ben insists on- he will  _ not  _ get burned this summer, goddammit), Rey goes  _ tearing  _ into the ocean, dragging Ben with her.

It’s freezing, of course, and that does wonderful things for the throbbing erection Ben would have otherwise. Rey frolics like a sea nymph, laughing and splashing as she dives into the water. Rose and Finn are more cautious, wading in slowly as their bodies adjust to the temperature. 

Rey seems _ free,  _ like some part of her has been released that she saves for the water. She glows like the sun as she tries to get Ben to stop standing still. 

“Come  _ on,  _ Ben, swim with me!” she cries. He’s waist-deep (being tall has its perks sometimes) and shivering. 

“Rey, it’s freezing!” he yelps back. She runs over to him and drags him deeper before launching herself into his arms, just as a wave comes crashing over them. She clings to him like a barnacle, their wet bodies pressed together, and somehow Ben stays standing through the wave. 

“Holy shit!” she splutters once their heads are free. “I totally expected that to knock us over!” Ben coughs up some sea water, mindful to keep it out of her face, and beams down at the literal ray of sunshine that’s fused to his body. He’s sure his ears are sticking out, but he doesn’t care. 

Rey looks up at him like he’s the only thing in the world, and suddenly she angles her face closer, until their mouths are just a mere inch apart. 

“Ben,” she whispers, “Kiss-” 

He cuts her plea off, crashing his lips against hers like the wave that just crashed over their bodies. Nothing else surrounds them, there’s nobody else nearby, nothing in the world matters except Ben and Rey.

She tastes like sunshine and cotton candy and the Fourth of July, all wrapped up in one, the happy sighs that come out of her mouth pure sin that goes straight to his groin. Ben locks his arms around her even tighter, totally unaware that another wave is coming. 

Their mouths stay joined together even as the wave crashes over them, only parting when Ben gets knocked off his feet. They stay connected, grasping each other close as they resurface, and burst into laughter once they realize  _ everyone  _ on the beach is staring at them.

Finn and Rose clearly started to run deeper into the water when they saw Ben and Rey go down, but stop once they realize they’re okay. Finn yells out “Atta boy!” as Rose throws them a thumbs-up. 

Rey and Ben look at each other with sheepish grins on their faces before deciding to head back onto the sand to catch their breath. 

They hold hands the rest of the day, parting only when it’s time to eat lunch at Grotto Pizza, and when they go back to their houses to get ready for their double date. 

**

Finn, Rose and Rey meet Ben at Obie’s two hours later. Rey sees Ben gulp audibly when they make eye contact, which makes her smile even wider. 

“You ladies look lovely,” he says. He pulls Rey’s seat out for her as they settle at a table outside, and she kisses his cheek before sitting down. 

“They’d better,” Finn gripes, “They tried on dresses for a full hour.” Rose elbows him in the gut and he yelps. 

“Well, it was worth it,” Ben murmurs. He rests his hand on Rey’s thigh under the table, which makes her shudder.

He looks  _ so  _ good in his gray button down shirt. It’s lightweight and goes perfectly with his gray and white plaid shorts. 

Rey sighs quietly. This itch  _ burning  _ inside her is going to be a problem all goddamn night. She doesn’t want to jump him, not on a first date, but  _ ugh.  _

She buries her nose in the menu, and decides on crab cakes and a lemonade, feeling Ben’s eyes on her the whole time. 

Dinner passes in a blur, Rey and Ben touching each other under the table throughout. It’s mostly innocent, just hands on thighs, but towards the end, Rey’s friskiness gets the best of her and she lets her hand creep up towards his crotch. She just likes to see Ben squirm, and squirm he does. 

He clears his throat and asks for the check, over the loud objections of the rest of the group. “You guys can buy my tickets at Funland,” he says with a grin. 

They walk down the boardwalk hand-in-hand, stopping at Kohr Brothers for frozen custard - “We eat Royal Treat ice cream constantly, I want something different!” Rose had whined until the others submitted to her will- until they arrive at the boardwalk amusement park.

“Have you been here yet?” Ben asks Rey. She shakes her head and he beams wildly. 

“What should we do first?” Rey asks. 

“Well, do you like games or rides more?” Rey bites her lip as she thinks. 

“Let’s do some games first!” Ben leads her to the horse races, his favorite game. “I’ll show you how it’s done, sweetheart,” he says with a smirk as he sits down. Rey stands behind him, shouting encouragement the whole time. He hasn’t played in two years, and wins his first game handily. 

Rey squeals with delight when he hands her a small stuffed pony. “Want to try, Rey? I’ll hold the pony,” he says as he kisses her cheek.

“I’ll try it!” she declares. Finn and Rose have wandered off to ride some rides, and Rey can’t help but be pleased that she gets Ben all to herself. 

She loses terribly the first game, but Ben tells her to keep going if she wants. She plays five times, and does horribly each time. She’s getting a little frustrated, so Ben suggests they try another game. He kisses her sweetly, and leads her into the interior of the amusement park. 

“I’ve been playing the horse races since I was a little kid,” he murmurs in her ear. She smiles up at him, her frustration forgotten. “Well, I’m glad you’re on my team,” she replies. 

Rey tries Frog Bog and shrieks in delight as she manages to land a disgusting rubber frog on a lily pad. She hands Ben a stuffed frog happily, excited to return the favor. Ben kisses her again, a little hotter this time, slipping his tongue in her mouth. 

Rey whines and clutches his shirt with her free hand, until Rose and Finn reappear and Finn clears his throat. 

Rose looks a little green, and admits the Sea Dragon was a little more intense than she expected. “We’re gonna go get some air,” Finn says before taking her hand. “We’ll see you guys later?” 

“Yeah, feel better Rosie!” Rey replies. The idea of it just being her and Ben the rest of the night thrills Rey. 

“They’re cute together,” she says to Ben once the other couple is out of sight. Ben nods in agreement. 

“What next, sunshine?” Rey bites her lip and flushes a little. Ben bends his neck to whisper in her ear, “Did you wear that yellow dress because I call you sunshine?” He nips at her earlobe and she shivers. 

“Yes,” she whimpers. Ben grins at her and kisses her forehead. 

“How about the Haunted Mansion next?” he suggests. “Unless you’re scared.” Rey pouts. 

“I’m not scared, let’s go!” 

The line takes a solid 15 minutes until they get seated, and Rey all but plasters herself to Ben’s side. 

She’s not  _ that  _ scared, but she’ll be damned if she doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to play it up and get nice and close. 

The ride is definitely more jarring than she expected. Isn’t this supposed to be a ride for kids? She shrieks as things jump out at her, and Ben wraps his arm tight around her reassuringly. Her adrenaline is pumping by the time the ride ends, her hands shaking slightly as they get out of their seats. 

“Are you okay?” Ben asks quietly. Rey nods, maybe a little too enthusiastically. 

“That was just a little more, um, surprising? I guess? Than I was expecting,” she admits shakily. 

“Why don’t we go walk on the beach? I’ve got a towel in my car, I can grab it,” he suggests. 

Rey grins up at him. “That sounds lovely. Maybe we could put our stuffed animals in there?” 

They walk to the Royal Treat, being careful to go around back instead of the front, where their coworkers would surely spot them. 

Rey sighs happily once her toes hit the sand again, and visibly relaxes as they walk in the water, hand in hand. 

“I was mostly excited to go on that ride because I wanted an excuse to be pressed up against you,” she admits after a bit. 

Ben stops and tugs her against him. “You don’t need an excuse, Rey,” he rumbles. He tosses his towel onto the sand and pulls her into his arms. Rey’s arms go around his neck and she stands on her tiptoes. 

Ben leans down and kisses her gently at first, then hot and slow and deep. He groans into her mouth as their tongues slide against each other. Rey whimpers and tightens her grasp around his neck. He tastes like chocolate ice cream and salty air and  _ lust.  _

He slides his hands down to cup her bottom, and Rey takes the cue to jump into his arms. “Fuck, Rey,” he pants into her mouth. 

“Ben,” she whines, “I want you so badly.” She pulls her face back and gazes into his eyes. “Should we maybe take it slow, though? Get to know each other a little better?” 

Ben nods, and she sighs in relief. “Good, cuz I  _ really  _ like you, Ben, and I don’t want to rush it.” 

He walks her back up the sand, setting her down gently so he can pick up and spread out his towel. He sits down and spreads his knees, motioning for her to sit between them. 

Rey leans her back against his chest, humming happily as he wraps his arms around her. They sit up and talk under the stars for  _ hours,  _ about their hopes and dreams, about their lives, about everything. 

Ben walks her home at 1 a.m. and kisses her good night, caressing her cheek longingly, like he’s afraid to let her go. 

“I’ll see you in the morning, sweetheart,” he murmurs. Rey turns her face and kisses the palm of his hand. 

“See you in the morning, Ben,” she whispers back. She goes inside and leans against the closed door, sighing deeply. She hears Ben do the same thing on the other side of the door, and knows that they’re both in much more trouble than they bargained for. 

**Author's Note:**

> Rehoboth Links:  
> [The Royal Treat](https://www.facebook.com/The-Royal-Treat-145714925458741/)  
> [Funland](http://www.funlandrehoboth.com/)  
> [Grotto Pizza](https://www.grottopizza.com/)  
> [Obie's By the Sea](http://obiesbythesea.com/)
> 
> Clothes:  
> [Rey's bikini](https://www.missguidedus.com/twist-bandeau-bikini-top-in-white-mix-match)  
> [Rey's cover-up](https://www.missguidedus.com/green-striped-jersey-pompom-trim-playsuit-10109930)  
> [Rey's sundress](https://www.missguidedus.com/yellow-tie-back-frill-wrap-dress-10105372)
> 
>  
> 
> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed!


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